10.3 Guard Duty, the Three General Orders, and Operations Security
Key Takeaways
The three general orders are to guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved; to obey my special orders and perform all my duties in a military manner; and to report violations of my special orders, emergencies, and anything not covered in my instructions to the commander of the relief.
General orders apply to every Soldier on guard; special orders apply only to a specific post and are issued in writing by the commander of the guard.
The challenge and password procedure requires a sentry to halt an approaching person at a distance where they can be dealt with, challenge them quietly, and require the correct password before allowing them to advance.
Deadly force is authorized only to protect life, and only where lesser means have been exhausted or would be inadequate, under the standards in AR 190-14 and the applicable rules for the use of force.
The five-step OPSEC process is identify critical information, analyze the threat, analyze vulnerabilities, assess risk, and apply countermeasures.
Guard Duty, the Three General Orders, and Operations Security
Core Principle: The three general orders are the oldest recitation in the Army board, and they are asked verbatim. They are also the shortest complete statement of what a sentry does: guard the post, follow instructions, and report what is not covered.
1. The Three General Orders
General Order Number 1
I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.
General Order Number 2
I will obey my special orders and perform all my duties in a military manner.
General Order Number 3
I will report violations of my special orders, emergencies, and anything not covered in my instructions to the commander of the relief.
Recite them verbatim, at the position of attention, with full projection. Board members will stop a candidate who paraphrases.
General orders vs. special orders
| General orders | Special orders | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Apply to every Soldier on guard, everywhere | Apply to a specific post |
| Source | Fixed and universal | Issued in writing by the commander of the guard |
| Content | The three orders above | Post limits, hours, what to challenge, whom to admit, what to report, use-of-force guidance |
| Change | Never | Change with the mission and the threat |
A sentry must be able to state both — the three general orders and the special orders for the post they are standing.
2. Guard Organization and the Relief
| Position | Role |
|---|---|
| Commander of the guard | Responsible for the entire guard; the sentry's reporting authority under General Order 3 |
| Sergeant of the guard | Senior NCO of the guard; supervises the reliefs and conducts inspections |
| Commander of the relief | Supervises one relief; posts and relieves the sentries |
| Sentinel (sentry) | Guards the post |
- Guard mount is the formation at which the guard is inspected, briefed, and posted. Sentries arrive with a serviceable weapon, the prescribed uniform, and their special orders.
- A relief is typically two hours on and four hours off, though the duration is set by the order.
- A sentry quits the post only when properly relieved. The relieving sentry states that they understand the special orders before the outgoing sentry departs.
3. Challenge and Password
The challenge and password protect the post from infiltration. The sequence:
- Halt the person at a distance where the sentry can deal with them and where they cannot see or hear anything they should not.
- Challenge quietly: "Halt! Who goes there?"
- Require identification: the person answers with their identity and purpose.
- Advance one to be recognized: bring the person forward far enough to be identified, keeping the rest of the group where they are.
- Give the challenge and require the password. The sentry gives the challenge word; the person must answer with the correct password.
- Admit or detain. If the answer is correct, the person is admitted. If not, the sentry detains them and calls the commander of the relief.
The challenge and password are classified, changed on a set schedule, and are never written on the post or discussed off duty. A sentry who forgets them calls the commander of the relief rather than guessing.
4. Use of Force
Guard duty is one of the few peacetime duties in which a Soldier may be armed against another person. The governing framework — AR 190-14 and the applicable rules for the use of force — establishes:
- Deadly force is authorized only to protect life, and only where lesser means have been exhausted or would be inadequate.
- Typical authorized circumstances include self-defense and defense of others, and the protection of assets whose loss would create an immediate danger to life — nuclear weapons, chemical agents, and designated arms rooms among them.
- A verbal warning — "Halt! Halt or I will fire!" — is given when time and circumstances permit.
- Warning shots are prohibited unless expressly authorized by the applicable rules for the use of force.
- Minimum force necessary is the default for everything short of a threat to life.
5. Operations Security
Operations security (OPSEC) is the process of denying an adversary information about friendly capabilities and intentions. AR 600-20 lists operations security among the commander's responsibilities, and every Soldier executes it.
The five-step OPSEC process
- Identify critical information — what an adversary needs to know to hurt you.
- Analyze the threat — who wants it and what collection capability do they have.
- Analyze vulnerabilities — how could they get it.
- Assess risk — how likely and how damaging.
- Apply countermeasures — what you change to close the vulnerability.
Essential Elements of Friendly Information
Common critical information includes:
- Deployment and movement dates, routes, and manifests
- Unit strength, readiness percentages, and equipment shortfalls
- Names and locations of key leaders
- Communication frequencies, call signs, and passwords
- Base defense plans, gate schedules, and patrol patterns
- Casualty information before next-of-kin notification
Where OPSEC actually fails
Not in classified spaces. It fails on social media — geotagged photographs, a countdown to a deployment, a spouse's post naming a departure date — and in public conversation in dining facilities, airports, and gyms. It also fails through aggregation: a dozen individually unclassified facts assembled into a classified picture.
Related programs: the Insider Threat Program in AR 600-20, and antiterrorism awareness, where the reporting mechanism is "If you see something, say something" through the chain of command and military police.
6. Board Answers
- "State your three general orders." Recite verbatim. Do not paraphrase.
- "What is the difference between a general order and a special order?" General orders apply to every Soldier on guard; special orders are issued in writing for a specific post.
- "What do you do if someone approaches your post and does not know the password?" Halt them at a distance, detain them, and call the commander of the relief. Do not let them advance and do not guess at the password.
- "When may you use deadly force on guard?" Only to protect life, when lesser means have been exhausted or would be inadequate, in accordance with the rules for the use of force for that post.
- "What are the five steps of the OPSEC process?" Identify critical information, analyze the threat, analyze vulnerabilities, assess risk, apply countermeasures.
What is General Order Number 3?
I will report violations of my special orders, emergencies, and anything not covered in my instructions to the commander of the relief
I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved
I will obey my special orders and perform all my duties in a military manner
I will walk my post in a military manner, observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing
How do special orders differ from general orders?
Special orders apply to every Soldier on guard while general orders apply to one post
Special orders are issued in writing by the commander of the guard and apply to a specific post, while general orders apply to every Soldier on guard
Special orders are classified and general orders are not
There is no difference; the terms are interchangeable
A person approaches a sentry's post at night and cannot produce the correct password. What should the sentry do?
Allow the person to pass if they present a military identification card
Fire a warning shot to alert the guard
Detain the person and call the commander of the relief
Guess at the password to see if the person confirms it
What are the five steps of the operations security process, in order?
Assess risk, identify the threat, brief the unit, apply countermeasures, report violations
Identify critical information, analyze the threat, analyze vulnerabilities, assess risk, apply countermeasures
Classify information, restrict access, monitor communications, investigate leaks, punish offenders
Plan, prepare, execute, assess, improve
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.